[hikaru12]

Why would you buy a Gumby and then want to avoid using a balanced setup? Balanced out of Gumby sounds better than summed single ended.

The MJ2 is a a step up from the Lyr 2. When I had my Yggdrasil, using balanced interconnects and a balanced headphone cable made a noticeable difference in sound quality with my HD 650 headphones.

When you make claims like that you should specify exactly what gets better. In my experience, balanced has only led to a blacker background and raised the volume due to the extra gain. It's certainly not night and day and a lot of headphones use those connectors without being internally balanced. The Mjolnir has had a higher than average of RMA's issued for it per the Impressions thread. It's only good if you want tube flavoring over a solid state punchiness. It doesn't offer the full benefits of tube (sound stage, micro-details, etc.) but offers a few drawbacks of solid state (dry, bright, etchy sound that can be remedied with the right tubes). Some headphones that prefer OTL's don't work well with it but I've heard it does nicely with Planars.

 

[MattTCG]

When you make claims like that you should specify exactly what gets better. In my experience, balanced has only led to a blacker background and raised the volume due to the extra gain. It's certainly not night and day and a lot of headphones use those connectors without being internally balanced. The Mjolnir has had a higher than average of RMA's issued for it per the Impressions thread. It's only good if you want tube flavoring over a solid state punchiness. It doesn't offer the full benefits of tube (sound stage, micro-details, etc.) but offers a few drawbacks of solid state (dry, bright, etchy sound that can be remedied with the right tubes). Some headphones that prefer OTL's don't work well with it but I've heard it does nicely with Planars.

Regarding your comment to @winders ....he is on target regarding the Gumby being a better performer over a balanced connection to the amp. I've owned the Gumby and have gone back and forth, balanced and SE, many times and the difference is clear. Think of the Gumby as being designed with a balanced connection in mind with the SE RCA out there for convenience but not offering the best performance.

There is nothing "dry and etchy" about the mjo2 with tubes either. I can't speak for the solid state configuration though. But with tubes this is a "wetter" sound with loads of dynamics. That's how I hear it anyway.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Why would you buy a Gumby and then want to avoid using a balanced setup?

Because from everything I've read, the Gumby's SE outputs are not gimped, and perfectly fine. Balanced means you have the buy more cables, and the ones I have were already expensive enough. I would rather avoid it unless the benefits are worth expending even more money besides a new amp. There are more expensive amps better than Lyr 2 that wouldn't require me to go balanced, which is a cost savings for me. I am inquiring about MJ2 though because I like Schiit products, but there would need to be an obvious jump in SQ for it to be worth it.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Regarding your comment to @winders ....he is on target regarding the Gumby being a better performer over a balanced connection to the amp. I've owned the Gumby and have gone back and forth, balanced and SE, many times and the difference is clear. Think of the Gumby as being designed with a balanced connection in mind with the SE RCA out there for convenience but not offering the best performance.

From what I gather, Schiit's circlotron technology (in the MJ2 and Ragnarok) definitely require balanced because the SE inputs/outputs are gimped, meaning they are there mostly for convenience, and the amps are designed to be used balanced. Gumby is not a circlotron design, so I am skeptical that the SE outputs are inadequate vs. balanced. I am not doubting balanced probably sounds a bit better, but if I had to live with Gumby SE forever, I would not be losing sleep over it because it sounds sublime.

But it sounds MJ2 is a very nice amp and probably a step up from Lyr 2 from what I'm gathering. I'd just need to get new cables, and I really don't like having to buy extra components just for the sake of using a new amp. Especially when there are other amps that sound great and don't require balanced.

 

[RCBinTN]

Thanks, @MattTCG for chiming in here.
Spot on, as always...

As for the comment about "dry, bright, etchy sound" from a SS amp...
I don't hear any of that from my BHA-1. It's a resolving, musical and fun amp.

I am sure the MJ2 is, as well.

And, Mr. Colt, I don't think you'll have a bad experience on SE connections.
I understand the cost of new cables.
Just enjoy your music...which I sincerely feel you are already doing!

All the Best -
RCB

 

[ColtMrFire]

Yes. Gumby is actually really making me appreciate the Lyr2 even more. The amp scaled up right along with the DAC. But Lyr 2 is end of the line when it comes to SE Schiit amps... everything higher up needs balanced. So I may have to look elsewhere for a new amp. I have heard great things about Black Widow, Mainline, Sonett, Torpedo III, and I put an ad up looking for any of those amps.

 

[winders]

Gumby is better using its balanced outputs........

 

[ColtMrFire]

I find most components with balanced outputs are going to always sound a bit better using balanced. I'm not disputing that.

 

[ColtMrFire]

A quick listen after getting home from work, and it sounds tonally less sterile and more natural, but not quite the way it was tonally before... but I feel like it is still improving. Timbre of instruments still sounds a bit off.

 

[rkw]

I'd just need to get new cables, and I really don't like having to buy extra components just for the sake of using a new amp.

You seem to be needlessly making cables a stumbling block for yourself. Schiit's PYST balanced cables are $40/pair and 9" long for connecting stacked components.

 

[ColtMrFire]

It's more about being satisfied with the SQ of the brand I already own. I've tried alot of cables and Morrow cables have me satisfied. The version I have is not cheap, but not expensive, but I'd have to get a new balanced pair to keep the sound I like. Plus a balanced cable for the my eventual HD800. It is not a cheap expenditure, so I need to take this all into account.

 

[ColtMrFire]

I want to thank everyone for all their replies, even if we don't always see eye to eye. This is a great community and a fun, rewarding hobby.

That said, the sound out of the Gumby now has completely toppled my perception of how you're supposed to enjoy music. I will try to explain this the best way I can... basically things sound so realistic, they are less "showy". When you're in a real room with real instruments, sounds are coming at you from across the room... there is oxygen in the room, and room reflections come into play... other DACs I've owned have rendered these sounds in a "showy" manner, meaning it sounds like it has "character", a "look at me!" nature to the sound where everything actually seems louder and more in your face, more in line with headphone listening, where your ears are so close to the drivers, everything seems more flashy.

The Gumby is now completely altering the nature of the way the music is coming out of the drivers. For instance, in an orchestral recording, sounds coming at you (the mics) no longer sound showy, but almost quieter and more subdued, even though they are more striking, realistic and powerful. This sounds like a contradiction, but that's the nature of live sounds... they are sound waves traveling through oxygen to reach your ears, and this is what the Gumby is giving me now. I am having to turn the volume up to get the same impact as I was before, but this actually is a bad idea, as loud sounds are still loud, they just seem less impactful because they are sound waves traveling through oxygen to reach your ears. So it becomes deceptively easy to harm your ears. In this way, I am having to re-adjust my listening habit to take in all the incredible detail without being wowed by the showy nature of the affair. It is music traveling through oxygen to reach my ears, like any live setting and live settings are not like headphone listening.

Another benefit is that albums I thought were badly mastered actually sound incredible. A couple movie score albums (Return of the Jedi, Final Fantasy The Spirits Within) really caught my attention. With my previous DACs (even the Mimby) these albums sounded muffled and indistinct compared to some of the better mastered material. Listening now, there is so much more realism and clarity that it is a whole new (and better) experience listening to them. Again, they just sound REAL, with little to no sense of any mastering process taking place to give the sound any "character". The only character I can discern are the placement of microphones in the room, which is different with every recording. Whereas previously these albums gave a sense of there being something in the way... a shoddy mastering job or something. Not really so anymore. I have not yet explored my really badly mastered junk albums, so I'm not sure how far this phenomenon can go.

I still have a feeling the sound is still settling in though because there is still a kind of hardness/roughness to the sound, that is especially apparent in the treble... it is kind of lacking the smoothness/liquidity that was there before, but it has been a fun eye opening experience letting this DAC warm up.

 

[makan]

Hi All. New Gumby and Bimby owner for a week here as I was curious about the Schiit multibit DACs. I am thinking that my ears seem to not be able to appreciate DAC differences, as I have hooked up my current Gungnir DS, Gumby and Bimby to my BHA-1 and honestly, if it was a blind test, I would not be able to pick my preferences....they all sound darn good! Am I a rare breed on multibit vs DS, not being able to appreciate the difference...perhaps ignorance is bliss, in which case, I will put up the Gumby for sale...then will decide between Gungnir DS and Bimby. Any thoughts and suggestions?

 

[makan]

I should add that each sounds just slightly different, but I don't think one is necessarily better or worse to my ears.....nor can I describe the differences in words

 

[ColtMrFire]

Hi All. New Gumby and Bimby owner for a week here as I was curious about the Schiit multibit DACs. I am thinking that my ears seem to not be able to appreciate DAC differences, as I have hooked up my current Gungnir DS, Gumby and Bimby to my BHA-1 and honestly, if it was a blind test, I would not be able to pick my preferences....they all sound darn good! Am I a rare breed on multibit vs DS, not being able to appreciate the difference...perhaps ignorance is bliss, in which case, I will put up the Gumby for sale...then will decide between Gungnir DS and Bimby. Any thoughts and suggestions?

There is a misconception about blind testing that is deceptive. I suggest you read @Baldr excellent post on the subject:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...obable-start-up.701900/page-516#post_11921090

If I were you, I would live with Gumby for at least another week or so before making a decision (without doing any switching back and forth, and if you must blind test, do it the correct way like baldr explains at the link). I have not owned a Bimby, but reports are that it is very close to (or equal to) the Mimby, which I did own for a long time. Gumby is a clear upgrade over Mimby, so I suspect it is also a clear upgrade over Bimby. Gumby is honestly the best piece of audio gear I've ever owned.

You also did not state what headphones you are using.